The March to OCS Exploration Continues

We continue to press this week for the Congress to approve exploration in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Some 85% of it has been off limits for the last 25 years because of the enviros’ self-imposed moratorium. Underneath lies 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas reserves — enough to heat 100 million homes for 60 years.

Today at 10 a.m. at the National Press Club there will be a press conference on the natural gas crisis in the US — and it is a crisis. There are a 120 chemical plants being built around the world. One is being built here. Why? The price of natural gas — the feedstock of the chemical industry — is prohibitively expensive. Why would anyone want to sit here and pay the highest natural gas prices in the world? The plastics industry, which uses natural gas for energy and also as a feedstock lost 150,000 jobs between 2000-2002 as natural gas prices began to soar. It will only worsen.

Everything you use, everything you buy has natural gas prices built into it, from milk cartons to food processing equipment to plastic sups to bread — you name it. Inputs and outputs both are soaring in price. And, the result is real out of pocket money coming from us, the consumer. Where are the enviros now?

In any event, contact your Representative and urge them to open the spigot on these enormous natural gas reserves before it’s too late.